A man of Asian descent has revealed he “feared for his life” after a British police officer arrested him, allegedly put his arm around his neck and told him to “chill out or I’ll choke you out”.
An officer from West Yorkshire Police was suspended after the video of Hassan Ahmed, 27, went viral on social media on Wednesday.
The incident drew widespread attention following the arrest of American man George Floyd in May, in which a black man died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes.
Mr Ahmed was under arrest in relation to assault offences in the city of Halifax in the North of England on Sunday. He was later released but remains under investigation, police said.
“Chill out or I’ll choke you out. Chill out or you’re going to sleep,” the police officer, who has not been identified, can be heard saying in the video, which appeared to show him with an arm around Mr Ahmed’s neck.
Mr Ahmed is then seen tapping on the ground before he is told to "turn over now", with another officer helping to detain him.
He said he feared he would die during his arrest.
"I was afraid for my life, I thought, ‘That's it, he's going to end up killing me,’” he told the BBC.
"I honestly thought it was my final moments; I was in shock, I was really scared.
"I was just thinking about my family, I thought, 'He's not going to let go, he's going to keep going, he's going to finish me,’” Mr Ahmed added.
"I was in pain, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't even gasp for air.
"He carried on, then he punched me in my face."
The incident has stopped Mr Ahmed from sleeping and working, he said.
Earlier his sister Safyah spoke out at a protest of about 100 people in Halifax demanding justice for her brother.
Ms Ahmed said her sibling was “shaken” by the attack, and added that the video was “distressing for me and my family members to see”.
"It was a total abuse of power. I felt sickened when I watched the video of my brother and hearing him struggling to breathe under the chokehold of that police officer,” she said.
Temporary assistant chief constable Osman Khan of West Yorkshire Police said the force was investigating the incident.
“We are aware of a video circulating showing the arrest of a man at Spring Hall Gardens, Halifax, on Sunday August 16 in relation to assault offences,” Mr Khan said.
“We immediately reviewed the footage and looked into it as a matter of urgency to establish the full circumstances.
“We have reviewed the actions of the officers involved and a referral has been made to the force’s Professional Standards directorate.
“Our investigation remains ongoing and we have made a voluntarily referral to the Independent Office of Police Conduct. The officer involved has been suspended from the force.”
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Second Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 120 runs
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Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
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• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
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Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
Pot 2: Iraq, Uzbekistan, Syria, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, Jordan
Pot 3: Palestine, India, Bahrain, Thailand, Tajikistan, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines
Pot 4: Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Malaysia
Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka
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Portugal v Chile, 7pm, today
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Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
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Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
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Super lightweight:
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Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
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Featherweight:
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Middleweight:
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Middleweight:
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Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
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Shower or bath after being outside.
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